11 Tips for Writing Great Employee Survey Questions

Survey questions are the most visible and often memorable part of an employee survey. Deciding on your questions (and how to ask them) is important because you can only take action on what you ask. You can more easily get to the information you need to make the best decisions when you implement these eleven tips for writing great employee survey questions.

1. Have One Key Decision Maker on Question DesignThis person understands the survey strategy and purpose. They are responsible for collecting feedback on the questions from relevant people within your company. Having one decision maker in charge of understanding the purpose behind each question keeps the process concise.

2. Start with ObjectivesIt’s tempting to dive into writing questions right away, but each question needs to have a purpose and that purpose is defined by the objectives. Take a look at what systems and initiatives you already have in place, and take into account what you are planning for the future.

3. Consider your Company CultureAsk yourself, “what has been critical to our success?” If you’re using a survey template and find that some questions aren’t relevant to you, rewrite them so they become useful. Your company is unique, and your survey questions should reflect that. It can be something as simple as changing the language in questions from “manager” to “coach” if that’s how your company functions.

4. Understand the Cognitive Model of Question ResponseIn other words, understand how someone answering your question processes it in their mind. We’ll walk through it with the example: “I receive appropriate recognition for my work”

Step One: Understand intent of the question - “I understand what recognition is”Step Two: Search memory for information - “When was the last time I felt recognized? Just last week I got props from a coworker”Step Three: Integrate information into judgment - “I think yes, I do receive appropriate recognition for my work”Step Four: Translate judgment onto response alternatives - “I would rate this favorably”

5. Familiarize Yourself with “Bi-Directional” QuestionsEach question being asked sends a signal. If the question is “my manager gives me feedback once a week” it sends a signal that once a week feedback is the norm. Understanding this idea ensures that you are sending the right signals on company norms.

6. Have the Right ScaleAlways include a midpoint in your Likert scale, because it accounts for people who do feel neutral on a question. If you exclude a midpoint, your “favorable” sentiment becomes inflated as people tend to acquiesce to the “yes” or “positive” side of the scale rather than answering how they truly feel.

7. Include Benchmark QuestionsIf the platform you’re using for your survey includes benchmarks, make sure you keep those important questions in. You want to be able to ask benchmark questions so that you can compare your survey results to your industry later on.

8. Don’t Ask Questions you Aren’t Ready to DiscussIf you ask a question about something you can’t change (or aren’t ready to discuss) it puts you in a difficult position. Survey takers are going to expect that if you ask questions about compensation for example, you’re willing to discuss or change something around this policy.

9. In General, Don’t use “Mandatory Question” FieldsWhen you’re designing a survey it can be tempting to make certain questions mandatory. However, this can be frustrating and annoying for people who honestly can’t answer the question. Participation in a survey should be voluntary, and mandatory questions go against this ideal.

10. Each Question Should Serve a PurposeYou should be able to understand the “why” behind each question, but not every question needs to be immediately actionable. You’re looking for questions that diagnose a problem on the whole, not to necessarily solve it on an individual basis.

11. Put Yourself in the Mindset of the Survey TakerSurvey fatigue can affect your survey’s results. If you’re asking about every aspect of your company in a 200 question survey, participants will likely get tired. Keep them interested and focused by ensuring the number of questions you ask is reasonable. Take the survey yourself to estimate the time it will take to complete.